


To Find Worth

by soul_writerr



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alpha!Rafael, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Feels, Courtship, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Hint of Case Fic, Jealousy, M/M, Mental Anguish, omega!sonny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 07:51:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19205077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: Rafael's Alpha heritage had always been a burden instead of a blessing. When he met Detective Carisi, he turned him down, only to later find out he was actually his chosen Omega. Too bad it's too late, and soon Sonny is going to let another Alpha claim him forever.If only Rafael could find a way to show his worth despite his family history.





	To Find Worth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UnitedKatesofAmerica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnitedKatesofAmerica/gifts).



> When I posted my first A/B/O fic, Kate asked for another one with Alpha!Rafael and Omega!Sonny, so here it is. She really helped me work this story out, and was never short of suggestions and ideas for this. So thank you so much, Kate, this story only exists because of you.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Warning: This story contains brief, canon-typical mentions of abuse and rape.

Rafael sighed loudly, throwing the file he was holding on his desk. He needed a break - and a drink. He grabbed his phone to check the time, and almost groaned out loud. It was way past his business hours, and he rolled his head to try and release some of the tension off his shoulders.

It’d been a very long day of prepping witnesses and writing opening statements. He hated cases like this one, and it came to no surprise that he put in extra hours when it came to Alpha attacking Omegas. He was an Alpha himself, and it made him sick to his stomach to think that someone would take advantage of the Alpha/Omega dynamics in this way.

An Alpha’s instinct was to protect, not to violate. Rafael couldn’t wrap his head around it, so he pulled all-nighters to try and make sure he’d got a strong case to take to court.

“Mr. Barba,” Carmen called as she walked into his office with a small smile. “I’m leaving for tonight, is there anything else I can do for you before I go?”

“I’m sorry, Carmen,” he sighed again. “I should have dismissed you a long time ago. No, thank you, you can go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Don’t stay too late. Lieutenant Benson’s expecting you at SVU first thing tomorrow.”

He smirked. “Then I guess that means you can have a late start. See you at 10, Carmen.”

Carmen giggled, then nodded. “Night, Mr. Barba.”

He watched her go then slumped back into his chair. _God_ , but he was tired.

One of Rafael’s knee popped when he stood up, and he winced as a reflex. He’d been sitting down for over three hours straight, so it really wasn’t surprising. Good thing he’d chosen to invest in a good chair right from the beginning of his career. He knew what he was like.

Rafael had learned early on this job that he rarely left his office, so it was important to make the space as homey and comfortable as he could. That was also why, instead of getting ready to leave, he went to his liquor cabinet and served himself a nice dose of his favorite Scotch.

He watched as the drink swirled on the bottom of his glass for a moment, and not for the first nor last time wished he could just sleep in his office.

There was a knock on his door just as he threw back half his drink.

To add to his not-so-very-good day, Lisa Hassler stood there with a flirty little smile. He pointedly rolled his eyes at her.

“Go home, Hassler,” he said impatiently. “Don’t make me call security on you. Again.”

She laughed, pushing away from the door to walk up to him. Rafael didn’t even flinch, watching her approach him with a calculated look. There was no room for amusement, teasing or joking here.

“What? You’re not going to offer me a drink?,” she joked. Rafael kept his expression neutral.

“I’m afraid not. I’m about to go home for the night,” he shrugged, swirling his drink again. “Just a celebratory drink for the stellar opening statement I just wrote.”

Hassler chuckled, shaking her head. “So arrogant, aren’t you, Rafael?,” she hummed, her eyelids drooping slightly. “Good thing I find that _extremely_ attractive.”

Rafael threw the rest of his Scotch back and stepped away. He could smell that her scent was getting headier, and even though he didn’t find it attractive in the slightest, he knew his pheromones would start instinctively rising if she kept trying to lure him closer. That would only make him even more frustrated.

“Lisa, how many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested in you, I’ll never be interested in you, no matter how many times you come into my office and drop your scent like a horny pubescent?”

Hassler’s eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arm over her chest with an undignified huff. “You know people talk, don’t you, Barba?”

“Have I ever cared?,” he mumbled back, piling up his files and setting them neatly in a drawer.

“Well, from what I’ve heard, you actually _don’t_ care. You don’t care about anyone who hasn’t got the same pedigree as you. You don’t care about Omegas who don’t grovel at your feet or stroke your ego until it turns three times its already humongous size,” she hissed viciously. “And you’ve never shown me any evidence that said _rumors_ aren’t true.”

Rafael wanted to snap at her, he really did. But instead, he took a deep breath and turned back to her with an eyebrow raised. “Have I not?,” he faked curiosity. “I could have sworn you’ve been _stroking my ego_ for weeks now while wanting to stroke _something else_.”

“Vulgar,” she smirked.

“Hassler, do us both a favor and stop trying,” he urged. “I’m not going to bed with you.”

She uncrossed her arms, huffed and made her way to the door, but stopped before crossing the threshold. She looked over her shoulder at him, and the glint in her eyes made her look like a snake. “Don’t you ever get tired of being alone?”

Rafael turned away from her then, looking down at his empty glass, not wanting her to see in his face that, yes, he did feel alone. Most days, he found his particularly strong Alpha blood was more a curse than a blessing, because everyone who wanted to be around him only wanted it for the thrill of such a powerful claim, the possibility of bonding with _him_.

“What’s the alternative?,” he chuckled humorless, shaking his head. “Bonding with you? I think I’m better off on my own.”

“I don’t know what you’re waiting for, Barba, but you’re not getting any younger.”

“You sound like my mother now,” Rafael snorted, and waved her off. “Goodnight, Lisa. Please don’t come back.”

She gave him a long look before smirking again and leaving.

Rafael counted down a few intakes of breath, working to ease his Alpha instinct back in. He hated how primarily animalistic it got sometimes, responding only to scents, ignoring the clear denial in Rafael’s mind and tongue.

That was why he hated the case he was taking to trial the next day. An Alpha who claimed an Omega without their consent, saying it only happened because his instincts were stronger than him. Proving that the Alpha was lying was always a challenge, no matter how much Rafael _knew_ it was a lie.

Alphas could control themselves very well, they just didn’t often want or try to.

Sighing again, he set his tumbler on his desk and reached for his briefcase. Tomorrow was going to be another long day.

* * *

The following morning, Rafael knew immediately that there was someone new in the squadroom. When he walked out of the elevator, he was hit by an unfamiliar, strong, extremely _attractive_ Omega scent. There weren’t any Omegas working at SVU, and it was refreshing to smell such a pleasant scent as he marched towards the bullpen.

He could pinpoint exactly where the scent was coming from. Not only because the newcomer was tall, and he was talking animatedly with Fin, wide hand gestures and all, but also because he seemed to be burning with it - a hot, beaming source of _exquisite_ scent.

Good thing Rafael had learn how to behave around Omegas a long, long time ago.

The Detective - Rafael spotted his shield easily - turned to him as a moth to light, and his jaw dropped the slightest bit when their eyes met.

“Barba,” Olivia greeted as she came out of her office. “Thank you for being here so early, I have a few things I’d like to discuss with you before we go to trial later today.”

“Please, tell me you’ve found some new piece of evidence that’ll have the defense attorney begging for a deal,” Rafael said, half-amused.

“I wish,” she chuckled, then seemed to notice the tall, lanky addition to her squad that was currently doing an awful of job of pretending he wasn’t staring. “Ah, let me introduce you to our new guy. This is Detective Dominick Carisi, just transferred in from Queens. Carisi, this is SVU’S ADA, Rafael Barba.”

“Hello! Call me Sonny,” the blue-eyed man said immediately, offering a hand with a dimpled smile. “Nice to meet you, Counselor. I’m a night student at Fordham Law, so I really look forward to working with you.”

Rafael smirked. “Welcome, Detective. I’m sure you’ll have great contributions to our cases.”

Rafael shook his hand with a greeting nod, and the Detective flushed slightly. He immediately smelled the uptick in his scent then, but he wasn’t at all surprised by that. However, when the scent turned into something heavy with pheromones, Rafael knew that meant trouble.

It’d happen a few times, Omegas who went into heat as soon as they met him. It was a natural reaction to his own scent being so rare, so rich, and he’d had to talk a few Omegas down from handing themselves over to him unprovoked.

There was a strong underlying of dubious consent in that type of submissive action, and Rafael wouldn’t be caught dead taking advantage of it. He had prosecuted many cases involving Omegas going into heat and Alphas taking the chance to dominate them, only to find they hadn’t actually wanted to be with that particular Alpha at all in the first place.

It was a huge grey area in the Alpha/Omega dynamics, and even though the Law had made it explicit that consent should be declared before the Omega went into heat, it was still a tough case to win in court.

Given their current environment, Rafael sincerely hoped Detective Carisi wasn’t about to embarrass both of them by bluntly trying to lure him into a dark corner somewhere.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly as he dropped Rafael’s hand, blushing harder. “Excuse me.”

Carisi walked right by Rafael as he made his hurried exit, and left behind a heavy scent that dropped like a punch to Rafael’s gut. His Alpha instinct roared to go after him, and he blinked repeatedly as he tried to rein it back in.

Omegas being intimidated by him was a common occurrence. Omegas going into heat in his presence had happened a handful of times. But Rafael wanting nothing more than to go after the Omega and make sure no one else landed a hand on him? _That_ had never happened before.

Beside him, Olivia sighed. “Well, that wasn’t a good first impression.”

“It was one I’m used to, though,” Rafael shrugged.

Olivia and Rafael had been good friends for about two years, and she’d heard many of his stories. She was one of the very few people who knew the reason why he’d never claimed anyone, and why he refused every Omega’s offer to rut.

And she was an Alpha, too, so she knew how it was like, and she never judged him or held it against him. It was no surprise they’d kept a good friendship despite the tricks of the job.

“Sorry about that,” she cringed. “Let me distract you with some work.”

Rafael smiled. “You know just what to say, Liv.”

* * *

Detective Carisi was eager, and loud, and Rafael soon had his hands full of the tall, Law-invested, Italian-American, Staten Island-raised man. Carisi talked about his life and his family as if Rafael knew them personality, as if they’d been friends for a very long time. All through that, Rafael did his best to ignore the way the Detective’s scent changed when he walked into the room.

Rafael kept their relationship completely professional, of course, but still, they _were_ working together, and being around the Omega was inevitable.

Carisi wasn’t unpleasant in any way, but Rafael still felt a little off his game with the way he reacted to the Detective’s scent. He wondered if maybe Carisi was from one of the older families too, where the Omega blood ran stronger, therefore making him seem even more alluring to Alphas.

Nevertheless, he did lay it heavy on the charm.

“Hey, Counselor,” Carisi greeted as he walked into Rafael’s office without a care in the world. They’d been working together for almost three months now, and the ADA was growing used to the Omega’s presence.

“Detective,” he replied casually, still writing away on his legal pad. “What can I help you with today?”

“The Lieu mentioned Buchanan’s been fucking around and fabricated three motions out of nowhere,” Carisi told him with an amused tone. “I was wondering if you needed any help.”

Rafael looked up to smirk at the other man. “Fordham’s most prestigious student is skipping class to help me?”

Carisi waved a dismissive hand at him, and Rafael wished he hadn’t, because the action threw a heavy wave of his scent towards him. “Nah, I’m all done for the semester. Everything handed in early, all exams done. I’m all yours, Counselor.”

It was impossible to miss the way Carisi’s eyelids dropped as he said that, and Rafael almost sighed loudly. He had grown to like the Detective, but he couldn’t help but wonder just how much of his will to help came from him being an Omega trying to pursue an Alpha.

“Make yourself useful, then,” Rafael collected a pile of documents that’d been waiting for his attention and handed it to Carisi. “Have fun.”

Carisi looked through the papers for a moment. “How about we order some dinner? My treat.”

Rafael raised an eyebrow at him. “If you’re sure.”

“Oh, yeah,” he nodded enthusiastically, pulling out his phone. “Uber Eats is a godsend, I swear. What do you feel like having?”

He shrugged. “You’re paying, you can choose.”

“No, it’s fine,” Carisi shook his head, and flashed Rafael a polite smile. “Really, Counselor. I’m sure you’ve got better taste than me, anyway.”

Rafael couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fine, but if I order anything you dislike, you can’t complain,” he said, and reached for the Detective’s phone.

Carisi beamed as he handed the device over. “You won’t hear a peep from me.”

Thirty minutes later, they were sitting on Rafael’s couch, each with a box of Chinese food in hand. He had considered messing with the Detective and ordering something really weird, but ended choosing the same thing they had the last time Carisi had suggested they order some dinner.

Carisi was going on and on about Buchanan’s tactics, how one of his professors had mentioned that defense lawyers pulled stunts like that all the time, and how that could potentially delay a case.

Rafael let his mind wander, and he couldn’t help but think how nice this was. He liked having the Omega’s company, and he was very entertaining to be around. Carisi was kind, and honest, and surprisingly witty. They often had good back and forths, and the help he offered was always very welcome.

He was just thinking about how he truly considered the Detective a good friend when Carisi stopped mid-sentence.

“You’ve got a little-,” he said, pointing at Rafael chin.

“Oh,” Rafael blinked back to reality and grabbed his napkin, dabbing at his chin blindly. “Did I get it?”

Carisi shook his head. “I think it’s some of the sauce, right there,” he pointed at his own chin then, and Rafael tried to place the napkin on the spot he was indicating. “No, a little bit higher, closer to your mouth.”

Rafael had a hand mirror in one of his drawers, and he was going to say that so he could go and get it, but then Carisi tutted and leaned closer to him, reaching for his chin with his thumb and whipping the sauce off with no preamble.

Then, in a move that made a fire burst inside Rafael, he stuck said thumb in his mouth.

He saw the exact moment Carisi’s tongue licked the sauce from his finger, and the Detective’s eyes widened as he did. Suddenly, Rafael was surrounded by one of the most delicious scents he’d ever smelled.

It physically hurt him to deny its call, but he immediately stood up and took large steps away from the Omega.

Rafael heard Carisi let out a little groan and shuddered, bringing a hand to his mouth to try and stop himself from growling. The entire room was drowning in the Omega’s scent, and it was driving Rafael crazy. He felt like his entire body was shaking from the strain of holding back.

It was like there was a little voice in the back of his head telling him to let go, that there was an attractive Omega who wanted him, who would submit beautifully to him. It was almost animalistic, disgustingly primal, and yet he knew that giving up to its instinct would be like sweet, pleasurable Nirvana.

“Sorry,” Carisi muttered, his face, neck and ears looking bright red. “I didn’t mean to do that, sorry Barba.”

Rafael gritted his teeth, and his jaw was aching. “Didn’t you?”

There was a long silence, and he half-expected Carisi to get up and leave, but eventually he turned to see him twisting a napkin in his lap, shredding it to pieces as he looked at Rafael with pleading eyes.

Rafael absolutely hated seeing that.

“I mean,” Carisi started, and his voice sounded deeper. “I’m sure by now you know I’m attracted to you. I scent like a teenager around you.”

He hated hearing that, too.

“I doubt this comes as a shock,” he laughed, a bit embarrassed. “Hell, I went into heat the moment we met. We both know you noticed it. You’re just-“

“Stop,” Rafael said sternly. He didn’t want to hear the same babbling about him being a powerful Alpha again. “Carisi, I know you’re attracted to me, but this isn’t the time or place. I’m sorry, but it’s never going to happen.”

Carisi swallowed hard, nodding. “I understand. I just thought we were getting along well.”

“We were,” he agreed with a tired sigh. “We are. But I’m not interested in you like that. You’re a good co-worker, but that’s all we’re ever going to be.”

“Okay,” Carisi frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I guess I misunderstood what was going on. I apologize for acting inappropriately.”

Rafael nodded. “It’s okay.”

Carisi nodded back, but his shoulders looked tense and he was still frowning. He patted away the little pieces of napkin that had fallen on his lap and reached for the documents Rafael had handed him at the beginning of the night.

“I can still help you with these,” he said, not looking at Rafael. “Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“I think it’s best if you leave now, Detective,” Rafael said, trying not to sound too stern, but he was going to lose his mind if he continued to get constant whiffs of Carisi’s scent like this.

The Omega’s hands balled into fists as he nodded again, standing up. “Of course. I’ll go. I’m sorry again, Counselor.”

Rafael nodded. “Goodnight, Carisi.”

Without saying anything else, the Detective reached for his suit jacket and left, his head down and shoulders tight.

Rafael did care for the man, and he hated that he’d had to reject him so harshly, but he couldn’t handle Carisi only being around him because he was an Alpha. A good relationship, be it professional or anything else, couldn’t be built off fantasies.

Rafael had learned that the hard way.

So he locked his office door and went to open a window. Despite Carisi leaving, his scent was still heavy around him.

Rafael didn’t manage to go back to work until most of it had been cleared by the night air.

* * *

 

“Did something happen between you and Carisi?,” Olivia asked over a week later, and Rafael wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

His dynamics with the Detective had changed since that night, and anyone could see it. Carisi still offered to help, he still gave his unnecessary legal advices, and he was still his generally eager self.

However, they didn’t interact one on one much anymore, and Carisi never seemed to want to be alone with him. All things considered, it had turned awkward.

“He used to offer to go into your office even when there was no need, now he avoids it even when I directly ask,” Olivia told him, and Rafael shrugged.

“You remember our first interaction on his first day?,” Rafael asked with a little smirk. Olivia frowned, then nodded. “Well, something like that.”

Olivia grimaced. “I’m sorry about that. Do you want me to have a word with him?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m telling you this as a friend, there’s no need to get him in trouble. Our professional relationship still remains the same.”

“I don’t know about that,” she considered it for a moment, then shrugged. “But as long as you two can work together, it’s all good.”

Except it wasn’t, and Rafael sighed dramatically as he and Olivia watched from her office as said Detective worked quietly at his desk. There was a time when Carisi would be dying to barge in, offer his two cents or ask if they needed help.

When Rafael told him he wasn’t interested, of course he didn’t mean to make things awkward between them, but it was natural that it did. No one really dealt well with rejections, put Omega hormones on top of that, it turned into a shit-show.

But now he missed the tentative friendship they had, and the Detective’s running commentary on everything.

So he excused himself from Olivia’s office and marched towards Carisi. The closer he got, the more confident he felt. He was well familiarized with the Detective’s scent now, so sweet and alluring, and being closer to him was as relaxing to Rafael as a long, warm shower.

“Detective,” he greeted, stopping across from his desk.

Carisi’s head snapped up immediately, and he smiled softly at Rafael. Unconsciously, he stood a little straighter.

“Counselor,” Carisi leaned back on his chair to give the ADA his full attention. “How can I help you?”

“I need to go over your testimony for the Harrods case.”

He tilted his head. “Rollins was the lead on that case.”

“But you found the key evidence,” Rafael smirked. “I’m building my case around that.”

As Rafael predicted, Carisi preened. “Alright, then. When do you need me?”

“Tomorrow, 11am?,” he suggested, and the Detective nodded, writing it down on his post-it notes. “We can go to lunch afterwards.”

That made Carisi pause, and he looked at Rafael with a confused frown. It was probably confusing that Rafael would invite the Detective for lunch when he’d basically kicked him out of his office just a couple weeks before.

Since that night, they hadn’t shared any other meals, or drinks, or even a full conversation really, but Rafael hadn’t stopped wanting to. That night plagued his mind, and even though he could definitely blame it on the Alpha part of him, he still had to deal with the consequences of his reaction himself.

Rafael smiled slightly, shrugging. “I’ll even let you choose where we go.”

There, an open and friendly invitation, that Rafael hoped the Detective would take for what it was - an apology, but also Rafael trying to go back to the easy friendship they had.

Carisi gave him a lopsided smile. “I hope you know that means we’re going somewhere _unbelievably_ Italian.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” he said, no real bite behind it. It was comfortable teasing. “See you tomorrow then, Detective.”

“11am,” he made a point to underline it on the post-it, then added ‘lunch with Barba’. “I’ll bring my A-game, Counselor.”

Rafael smirked and nodded his goodbyes. Carisi’s scent followed him all the way down the hall.

* * *

Just like that, Carisi was back in his day to day life. Their lunch had started a bit awkward, but after Rafael apologized for kicking the Detective out of his office, things began to go more smoothly. It only picked up from there.

Carisi went back to giving unsolicited advice and offering to go through motions and statements for him. They went back to having drinks together, sharing dinners and staying late working in Rafael’s office.

They were growing more and more comfortable around each other, and, with time, Sonny’s scent even stopped flaring around Rafael. It was a relief, for both of them.

It only took around two months for the Detective to finally convince Rafael to let him shadow on a case. He was very persuasive, and even got Olivia on his side. And no, Rafael would never admit that the Detective tilting his head and flashing his dimple at him, saying “please” repeatedly, played a big part in his eventual agreement.

So now here they were, staring down at a perp who was trying to cut a deal. A ridiculous one, at that, but his attorney had a whole list of reasons why the DA would be pleased with their offer.

Rafael let him talk his ears off, watching the perp scowl with his arms crossed over his chest. Rafael was not going to take the deal, and he suspected the guy knew that.

The attorney was still talking, and Carisi shifted slightly beside Rafael. The perp, a predatory Alpha, turned to look at him with a little smirk that made Rafael want to grab him by the hair and slam his face on the table.

Carisi shifted again, pushing himself away from the table. The perp kept looking at him, and he leaned forward as Carisi leaned away.

Rafael frowned, and turned to look at the Detective. His brow was furrowed, and his nose was pinched. He turned his face away for a moment, then looked back at the defense attorney with a forced neutral expression.

It clicked in Rafael’s mind, then. The Alpha perp was scenting towards Carisi, but judging by the Detective’s reaction, it was not a good scent.

The ADA shot a murderous look towards the accused, then cleared his throat loudly, interrupting his attorney’s monologue.

“Excuse me,” he said and raised a hand, then turned on his chair to say to Carisi, “Could you run to my office and grab the Martin file?”

Carisi frowned at him, and tilted his head in confusion, but then Rafael smirked and winked discreetly at him, and the confusion turned into relief.

The Detective nodded, and stood up. “Of course, Counselor. Excuse me.”

They waited in silence as Carisi made his exit, Rafael still smirking. But before the defense attorney went back to his nonsensical talking, Rafael stopped him.

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Johnson, but we’ll politely decline your plea offer,” he said, and started to list all the reasons why, including the number of barbaric crimes his client had committed.

The perp was left seething, and the attorney looked about to explode, but Rafael waved them goodbye and left with an overly-pleased “I’ll see you in court.”

When Rafael walked back into his office, he wasn’t surprised to find Sonny sitting comfortably on his couch, fanning his face with an empty case file.

“Thank God you’re back, I need a good scent to cleanse my nostrils,” he inhaled loudly and Rafael snorted. “Sorry I ditched you, but I honestly could not breathe in. It was _vile_.”

“It’s fine, it wasn’t pleasant to me either,” he shrugged. Rafael hadn’t honestly paid that much mind to the Alpha’s scent, and although the smell was indeed horrid, it was seeing Carisi’s discomfort that bothered him the most. “You know Alphas. Coffee?”

Rafael was glad that they’d reached a point in their friendship where he felt comfortable talking about his Alpha traits. He didn’t often do that because it led to questions about his heritage, and he definitely didn’t want go into that topic.

But Sonny never asked. He took what Rafael said at face value and added his own views as an Omega, never pushing or babbling about the kind of Alpha he thought Rafael was.

“Yes, please,” Sonny replied enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah, you’re right. I’ve never encountered a bad-smelling Omega, though. I mean, you know we have blocking scents, right?”

“To repel other Omegas, yes,” Rafael nodded.

“Right,” Sonny smiled. “But it’s never bad.”

“To be honest, it’s hard to find an Alpha that doesn’t smell at least a little bit odd to me,” he considered. “I think Olivia’s the only one who’s the slightest bit pleasant.”

Sonny nodded, and his smile grew. “Probably why you’re such good friends, then.”

Rafael hummed, agreeing. He served them both coffee, and turned back to offer Carisi’s his, only to find the Detective was now standing up, his arms crossed over his chest tightly, almost as if he was trying to protect himself.

“What’s the matter?,” he asked, approaching the Omega to hand him his cup. He took it with a grateful smile. “Was his scent really that bad?”

“No, I mean, yeah, it was disgusting,” Sonny pulled a face, then took a sip of coffee. “But it was going well, then he decided to taunt me and started to purposely scent towards me. I know it was just a tactic, but Omegas are sensitive to Alpha’s scents, I know he knows that, and I wouldn’t be able to stay that much longer in the room if he kept it up.”

Rafael nodded along, and took a seat on the couch Carisi was previously sitting on. He sipped his coffee and watched as the Detective breathed in slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment, then inhale again.

The ADA wondered if Carisi really was trying to catch his scent.

“He might have thought I’d find his scent good,” Carisi continued. “And he’d use it to get me to agree with his lawyer, or maybe he knew it was bad, and he wanted to kick me out, but regardless, how am I supposed to do this job, Rafael?"

Rafael considered it for a moment. “Is it not the same when you’ve got Alpha perps to interrogate?”

“Not really. We play it to their weaknesses, really. If it’s a perp who clearly shows signs of hating Omegas, we send in the Lieu, or even a Beta, like Fin. But if it’s an Alpha who looks like they feel a little guilty for, say, hurting their bonded Omega, I go in, push onto that guilt.”

Rafael smirked. “Don’t tell anyone about that, I don’t want any defense attorney saying their client was under duress because you batted your pretty eyes at them.”

Sonny waved a hand, and snorted. “Not my fault I got blessed with these baby blues,” he winked, and Rafael looked down at his coffee. It sounded like flirting, and that wasn’t a good idea. “So you see? It’s not the same. Yeah, sometimes the Lieu has to pull me out because an Alpha is getting aggressive, but then she goes in and sets them straight. But here? When I’m alone with a defense attorney and their client? What am I supposed to do? Recuse myself because they smell bad?”

Carisi shook his head, and sighed. He looked frustrated and disappointed, and Rafael set his cup down so he could stand up and step closer to him, offer some type of comfort.

“Carisi, I apologize,” he started softly. “I shouldn’t have made you leave. You looked uncomfortable, and we both had already agreed we wouldn’t take the deal, so I-“

Sonny shook his head again. “No, you did the right thing. I would have had to leave anyway, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.”

“Well, he looked pretty annoyed at me for taking away his toy, but I should have told his attorney that if he didn’t stop I’d turn down the deal immediately. _We_ had control in the room, Sonny, but we gave it to him just like that.”

He nodded, narrowing his eyes as he proceeded what Rafael said. “You’re right. But _I_ should have said it. I should have said that intimidation wasn’t going to get him the deal he wanted. But I was relieved to leave, I wasn’t thinking that far.”

Rafael reached for his forearm and squeezed it slightly, hoping that seemed supportive. He smiled at Carisi, then shrugged.

“It looks like we both learned something today,” he said. “Next time, we’ll shut it down.”

Carisi chuckled, and nodded eagerly. “We make a good team, don’t we, Counselor?”

Rafael dropped his hand, but his smile widened. “We definitely do, Detective.”

* * *

 

Rafael went straight to the interrogation room when he arrived at SVU a week later. There was a suspect in custody, and Olivia had been adamant about his presence. She had an inkling that this was connected to the Omega slave ring they’d caught a whiff of a month ago.

Someone was holding Omegas in captivity and selling them to Alphas as slaves. They’d gotten a call from Mercy Hospital, saying someone had dropped a very injured Omega on their door and fled. There were signs of continuous abuse, so it fell in SVU’s hand.

Carisi had told him about it. Him and Fin had been the ones to take the Omega’s statement, and so far Olivia had kept him far from any Alphas. Hence why Rafael still hadn’t met the victim, but had his case file burning a hole in his desk drawer.

Sonny had been devastated when he showed up at Rafael’s office, straight after leaving the hospital. His hands were shaking, and his breathing was short, and Rafael felt himself pale when Carisi said, his voice small and shaky, that he hoped there wouldn’t be a need for undercover work.

It took about a week for the victim to be nursed back to health enough to help find the man who’d kept him chained in his house. He told SVU about the horror house he lived in before he was sold, and the team knew they had a big problem in their hand when the victim, Josh, said there were at least 6 other Omegas in the house, and that a handful had already been sold.

Now, they’d found the guy who’d bought Josh, and Rafael was there to watch his interrogation. They were hoping to get more names out of the suspect, learn more about their scheme, and Rafael was going to make sure everything was done by the book. He could not risk having to send Carisi undercover for this.

But, much to his surprise, it was Carisi who was interrogating him. Alone.

“Suspect’s name is Matthew Miller, 37, he owns three coffee shops around the city, single, no children,” Olivia started as soon as she spotted him. “Matches Josh’s description perfectly, down to the birthmark on his upper arm. Fin’s gone to pick him up for a line-up.”

Rafael nodded. “No lawyer?”

Olivia shook her head. “We’ve asked twice, he said he doesn’t need a lawyer because he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Hopefully he’ll keep up with the stupidity,” he smirked. “Why’s Carisi taking him alone?”

“It was his suggestion. Despite keeping Josh chained around the house, Carisi pointed out that he took care of him. Bought him clothes, kept him well fed, well-groomed.”

“Ah, yes, the good old hair-brushing after hours of non-consensual sex,” Rafael grimaced.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. “Carisi’s trying to appeal to the side of him that cares for Josh. If it doesn’t go anywhere, I’m going in.”

“Alright,” he nodded curtly, and turned to look at Carisi. He looked somewhat relaxed, lounging on his seat. “How is it going so far?”

“Carisi’s doing most of the talking.”

Rafael chuckled. “Nothing out of the ordinary, then.”

Olivia smiled and turned up the intercom system, Carisi’s voice carrying through confidently.

“Listen, Josh is on his way here now,” he said, and Matthew looked at him skeptically. “He wants to see you, you know. He told us about how you took care of him. Nobody took care of him like that before.”

Matthew scoffed, and looked away. Rafael’s jaw clenched. He feared he’d ask for a lawyer any moment now.

Carisi stood up and paced around the room slowly, coming to a stop behind Matthew, who immediately turned on his seat to keep eye-contact with him. When Carisi didn’t move, Matthew stood up too, moving away from him.

“Matthew, we all here know you’re not the bad guy. Josh told us what the others did to him, that they’d let him starve, that they beat him up,” Carisi said softly, taking tentative steps towards the Alpha.

Rafael’s hand balled up into fists beside him.

“You _saved_ him. He would have died there, but you rescued him,” Carisi was way closer now, and Matthew was looking at him with big eyes. “We just want to catch the guys who hurt him. Tell me about them.”

“They’ll kill me,” Matthew said gravely.

“No, they won’t. They won’t even come near you. I’ll help you, we can keep you safe. Just be honest with me, Matthew. Come on, for Josh.”

Matthew shook his head. “Josh should have come back to me. He ran away.”

Rafael watched as Carisi sighed, shaking his head and, once again, taking a step closer to him.

“He didn’t run away, Matt. He just needed some time to get better. But he’s coming back,” Carisi smiled reassuringly. “My partner’s bringing him here now.”

“You’re lying to me.”

“I promise you, he’s coming. But I can’t let you see him until you talk to me.”

Matthew lunged forward suddenly, almost knocking his head to Carisi’s. Rafael’s breath caught in his throat.

“ _Let me_? Josh’s mine! We would have bonded, but he was… he fell ill,” he spat.

Carisi raised his hands placantanly. “Alright, I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“What are you even doing here?,” Matthew asked viciously, cornering Carisi to the back of the room. “You’re an Omega, but I can smell an Alpha all over you. You shouldn’t be here, you should be home, waiting for them, not getting on my face with your scent.”

“I’ll step back,” he said, but couldn’t physically do it, there was no space left for him to move. “Matthew, stand back.”

“Why can’t you Omegas get it through your thick heads that you can’t go around like this? It’s dangerous! Anyone could grab you and take you. And then what? It _hurts_ us.”

“I know, and I know you miss Josh, but he’ll be back-”

“Stop saying that!,” he yelled. “I’m not stupid, I know I’m not getting him back. You took him away from me. I lost him, and it’s not fair! I was taking care of him, I really was, I don’t know what happened.”

“Where did you find him, Matthew?”

“I can’t tell you that!,” Matthew yelled again. “Stop trying to trick me, Omega. You can’t, I’m smarter than you, you won’t get me.”

“Get you?,” Sonny raised an eyebrow. “For what? You said you were innocent.”

“I am!,” Matthew growled, and crowded further into Sonny.

Something inside Rafael was turning, pushing against his skin, making his jaw clench and unclench nonstop. The Alpha was standing too close, rubbing his scent on Sonny, threatening him, and Rafael didn’t like it. He was fighting against the urge to call it off, to burst into the room and tear Matthew away from him.

“I took care of him!”

“No, you didn’t!,” Carisi yelled back, changing his tactic. “You hurt him, you dropped him on a sidewalk and drove away. He could have died! You almost killed him!”

“Shut up! I would never have hurt him. I loved him!,” Matthew punched the wall next to Sonny’s head.

“Olivia, this is getting out of control,” Rafael said through gritted teeth.

“He’ll get there, Barba, hang on,” she guaranteed, leaning closer to the glass with a sharp gaze.

“You raped him,” he said, his voice low, and the room went deadly quiet. Matthew had frozen in place, looking at Sonny with wide eyes, his mouth agape.

“Is that what he said? He said…,” Matthew took a step back. “He said I raped him?”

“Yes. And that you kept him chained up to the bed for days,” Sonny kept his voice low. “He said many days, he wished the people who took him had killed him instead of him being bought by you.”

Matthew stumbled back, then he turned around, grabbed the chair he had been previously sitting on and threw it against the wall, yelling.

“Olivia,” Rafael turned to her with pleading eyes, his heart constricting inside his chest. He felt like he couldn’t breathe anymore. “Stop this, right now.”

“Come on, Carisi,” she said against the glass, ignoring Rafael.

“Yeah, he told us you like to throw things, too,” Sonny said, emboldened. “That you have no self-control, that you’re a _weak_ Alpha.”

“Weak?,” he turned to Sonny, and his eyes looked crazy as he laughed. “Ungrateful little shit! I paid thousands of dollars for him!”

“We got him,” Rafael insisted. “That’s a confession. Liv, pull Sonny out.”

“We need more,” Olivia shook her head. “We need him to talk about the ring.”

Rafael’s hands were shaking, and he stepped away from the window to try and breathe. His instincts were kicking up a storm inside him. He had to take Sonny out of there, keep him away from the other Alpha. He had to protect his Omega, and make sure he was safe.

His head snapped up. _His_ Omega?

“You are no better than the people who sold him! They abused him, just like you did,” Carisi said, pointing a finger at him. “You hurt him, just like they did.”

Matthew laughed humorlessly. “You have no idea what they do to pretty little Omegas like Josh, or you. They _break_ you, until it feels like being bought is the best thing that could ever happen to you. You’d get some high bids from buyers, maybe you should try it and see if they’ll put you in your place.”

“I’m going in,” Rafael barked and made his way to the door, but Olivia grabbed his wrist.

“We’re almost there, Barba,” she said, frowning at him. “Let Carisi do his job.”

Truth be told, Rafael felt like he was about to lose his mind. And that had never happened before. He’d watched many interrogations before, a few of which got worse than this, but it was killing him. It felt like his muscles were trying to rip through his shirt just so he could wrench the door open and pull Sonny out.

“Rafael, are you alright?,” Olivia asked, pulling him by the grip she still had on his arm. “You’re hyperventilating.”

Rafael realized then that he had chosen Sonny as his Omega. He could feel it now that it was clear to him - a restlessness inside himself that craved the other man’s presence constantly, the overwhelming need to protect him. It’d taken place there from the very first day they met, Rafael was sure of it now.

And there was absolutely no way he could just go back to acting like everything was the same around the Detective. He physically couldn’t anymore, it felt like something inside himself had snapped, a door had been opened, and there was no closing it now.

So Rafael had to tell him. He’d have to explain the whole thing to Sonny, apologize, and say that he intended on properly courting him now, if Sonny consented to it.

Well, at least he would, if he ever managed to get Sonny out of that goddamned room.

“So what?,” Matthew was yelling when Rafael finally managed to get his brain back on track. “I did him a favor! You know what they do to Omegas who don’t sell? They claim them, then throw them out on the street to die of agony.”

“Jesus,” Olivia breathed. “We have to find those people.”

“Matthew, where are they? We have to find them,” Sonny begged. “I’ll talk to our ADA, he can cut you a deal. Just let me help those Omegas.”

Matthew shook his head. “I don’t know. I never went there. They send a catalogue, that’s how I chose Josh,” he sniffed. “He was beautiful. He was smiling in his picture. He never smiled at me.”

“Okay, so you never actually went to the house? They sent you Josh and that was it?,” he pressed.

“Yeah, a car brought him, it was just him and the driver. He got out of the car and they drove away. That was it.”

Carisi visibly sagged, but nodded. They’d have to set a trap, someone would have to go undercover as a buyer. Thankfully, it couldn’t be Sonny.

Rafael’s breathing still wasn’t completely back to normal until Sonny came out of the room, but he felt an instant wave of relief and smiled. Then, he schooled his expression back to nonchalance.

“Counselor,” he greeted, sounding a little shaken. “I know he didn’t give enough for a good deal, but Josh doesn’t want to testify, so maybe we can find a middle-ground.”

The ADA nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“You good, Lieu?,” Sonny asked, his way of checking if he was dismissed.

“Yeah,” Olivia smiled. “Good work in there, Carisi.”

“Thanks,” he smiled back. “I’ll come back when Josh arrives.”

Rafael watched as Sonny made his way to the locker room and, although Olivia was talking to him about what they were going to do with Matthew, he excused himself and followed him.

Sonny was washing his face when Rafael walked in, and their eyes met in the mirror.

“You did really good work back there,” Rafael said, approaching him slowly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he nodded and grabbed a towel, drying off his face as he turned to Rafael. “I mean, you heard him. They claim Omegas and throw them out like nothing. And for what?”

“Power,” Rafael said, then regretted it. “I know that’s not what you want to hear right now, but that’s how Alphas are driven, always towards power.”

Sonny shook his head. “It’s bullshit.”

“I know,” Rafael sighed. “But we’re gonna get them, and I’m bringing journalists in. I want this to have international repercussions.”

“I trust you, Raf,” he smiled softly. “Are we still on for dinner tonight?”

“If you still feel like it, sure. I understand if you need to call it an early night.”

“No, I could use the distraction.”

Rafael nodded. “Great, then. See you at dinner.”

* * *

 

Rafael had planned on telling Sonny tonight. About how he’d chosen him, and how he wanted to properly court him, but his phone wouldn’t stop pinging with new text notifications, and Rafael could barely get a full sentence out without being interrupted by it.

Sonny, for his part, had a permanent blush on his cheek after putting his phone on silent and grabbing it mid-air when it vibrated itself off the table.

Rafael was annoyed, to say the least. He’d planned out a whole speech about how much Sonny meant to him, and that seeing him in danger (no matter how controlled it was) scared him, so he didn’t want to miss his chance. So, if Sonny agreed, he’d like to court him.

He could already picture the look on Sonny’s face - first shock, then confusion and, lastly, elation, he hoped.

“I’m sorry,” Sonny said for the third time.

“It’s okay if you need to make a call,” he said, indicating the phone.

“No, no,” Sonny winced when the phone pinged again. He picked it up to read the notification. “I shouldn’t have agreed to come tonight actually, but I was worked up about the interrogation.”

Rafael was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“I’m kinda seeing someone,” he blushed deeper. “He’s an Alpha and when we go out together he can smell you on me, I think. He doesn’t really like it.”

Rafael felt an indescribable flare of anger go through him, and he immediately wanted to fly across the table just to make sure Sonny was really there, and to stop anyone else from coming near him.

The strain of holding back was agonizing, and Rafael thought his insides were being torn off in half. His muscles were twitching and shaking, and suddenly the wine glass in Rafael’s hand shattered. Glass flew everywhere, and the white tablecloth was drenched in red wine.

“Oh shit,” Sonny exclaimed as he jumped back, and Rafael looked with wide eyes at his hand.

The glass was thin, and the damage was done. As he opened his hands to drop whatever remained, a trickle of blood started going down his hand and wrist.

Rafael grimaced at the small cut across his palm, but thankfully assessed it wasn’t deep enough that he’d need stitches. He did need to stop the bleeding, though.

So he grabbed the napkin he’d laid across his lap and bunched it on the palm of his hand, closing it in a fist to keep the pressure.

“Are you okay?,” Sonny asked, still looking a little shocked.

“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded. “Just a superficial cut.”

Just then the waiter approached them with a weary look, sweeping away the broken glass and replacing it with a new one. Rafael smiled apologetically, and dropped his injured hand to his lap.

It didn’t hurt, but he was sure it was going to sting while he tried to write down statements the next day.

“I apologize,” Rafael said once the waiter went away with the glass shards. “You were saying?”

Sonny snorted. “You’re going to change the subject just like that? That glass just exploded in your hand, Rafael.”

He waved his free hand dismissively. “I must have gripped it too tightly. The glass was pretty thin. Cheap, low quality.”

That was a lie. The restaurant was fancy, Rafael had suggested it with the purpose of officializing his intentions of courting Sonny. The wine glass wasn’t cheap, and although the glass was indeed on the thinner side, it weighted nicely on his hand, the bottom thick and lustrous.

And just by looking into Sonny’s eyes, Rafael knew he caught that too. He had the same glass in his hand, after all.

“Is there anything you’d like to say to me?,” he asked, leaning closer to rest his elbows on the table. His eyes were kind and sweet; he looked like the perfect picture of patience.

Rafael would have told him everything, he would have laid the cards on the table, he would honestly tell him he’d chosen him. But that chance was taken from him the moment Sonny said he was seeing someone.

The choice was no longer Rafael’s.

He’d missed it.

Missed Sonny.

And it felt like something inside himself was crumbling.

He knew hearts didn’t actually break, but something was definitely being torn in half somewhere in there. It was a dull pain, but it was impossible not to notice.

“No,” Rafael eventually said. Because he could no longer say it. “Not at all. Please, I interrupted you before. Go on.”

* * *

 

With time, the dull pain he started feeling after that dinner with Sonny turned into a burning that consumed him from the inside out. He had a hard time focusing at work, and whenever the Detective was around, it was like Rafael couldn’t pay attention to anything else.

It was nerve-wracking, and it only got worse when Rafael started having trouble sleeping. Although it felt like the energy was being sucked out of him throughout the day, there was a constant prickling under his skin that kept him awake for hours as he layed in bed.

His mind kept going back to Sonny, no matter how much he tried to forget about the Detective, and move on. He couldn’t, his brain was filled with blue eyes, a dimpled smile, and an endearing accent. He tried to distract himself with extra work, but it had the opposite effect because, then, he started having full conversations with the Detective in his head.

One week later, Rafael felt like he was at the end of his rope, but he was proven wrong.

Sonny came into his office in the late afternoon with a bright smile and a box of cannoli for them to share. As he often did, he looked at the amount of work on Rafael’s desk and immediately offered to help.

Rafael had no energy to deny him, so they moved the paperwork from his desk to the round table in the middle of the room. However, when Sonny turned to take a seat, Rafael caught a whiff of something different. Another scent mingling with Sonny’s.

Another Alpha.

The realization hit Rafael like a punch to the gut, and he was glad he was already sitting down. All his muscles seemed to seized up, and he grunted lowly in pain. Thankfully, Sonny had been chatting nonstop about whatever it was and didn’t hear him. He resisted the urge to close his eyes, even though he was feeling a little faint.

In the end, Rafael made his excuses, saying he had an awful headache and he would be going home a bit earlier. Sonny accepted that, but with a frown. He always worried, and accused Rafael of not eating enough.

“Coffee isn’t food, Raf,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

Rafael immediately shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to handle being trapped in a car with the Detective, no way. He wasn’t sure which excuses he came up with, his voice was sounding distance and detached from him, but in the end Sonny left, wishing him well.

The ADA took slow steps towards his couch, and collapsed there, groaning like a wounded animal. It felt like he couldn’t breathe, his legs couldn’t carry him, all because Sonny had been marked by another Alpha’s scent.

Rafael might have passed out at some point, be it from pain or exhaustion, because when he came to, it was much later, and he was still lying in fetal position on his couch.

He set up with a long moan, his head pounding as he went. He decided, then, that he was going to take some sleeping pills so he could finally sleep a whole night and, hopefully, he’d wake up feeling better than a carcass.

And yes, he did sleep the entire night then, but he woke up drenched in sweat and shaking. Rafael couldn’t remember if he’d had a nightmare during the night, he actually barely remembered getting home, but it felt like he’d just been squeezed through a garbage disposal tube.

Rafael went into his bathroom with single-minded focus. He was not going to keep moping around, no matter how much the Alpha in him was trying to destroy him. He was going to go to work and act like his regular self. And if he bumped into Sonny, he’d treat the Detective with all the professional courtesy he possibly could.

There, he filled the bathtub with freezing water and undressed. Clenching his jaw, he stepped in and sat down, leaning back until the water was up to his neck. It stung, feeling like his muscles were shrinking under his skin. Then taking a deep breath, Rafael dived underwater.

He groaned, bubbles escaping his mouth as he greeted his teeth. The water was deadly cold, and he could feel himself shaking, but held on to the safety bars around the tub to keep himself under for a long as he could. Until his lungs started burning, he let himself feel the sting. Until there was no more air, he pushed away thoughts of Sonny.

When it went past the point of it being safe, he emerged with a loud, grave gasp, and stood up. With his hands shaking, he grabbed a towel and wrapped himself quickly.

From that moment on, he proceeded with his day as he normally would, except every time Sonny came into his mind, he denied it, and pushed the thoughts away.

There was still a constant discomfort under his skin, it still felt like his heart was trying to eat itself, but he had enough energy and strength to keep going about his day. And so he did.

* * *

 

And for two weeks, Rafael managed quite well. He had trained himself to banish the Detective from his mind, while still working with him regularly. He was quite happy with himself. The dull pain was now something that was completely on the background, and he would even confidently say he was over the whole situation.

He shouldn’t have celebrated so soon, however, because his new undoing came walking into his office on a random Wednesday afternoon.

“Counselor,” Sonny greeted, walking in with a bag of Chinese food. “I brought lunch.”

Rafael saw it immediately; a dark red mark on Sonny’s neck. A mark that looked a lot like a _claiming_ mark.

Everything inside him lurched forwards, and the ADA’s vision went white for a second. He stood up before he could stop himself, marching towards Carisi and holding his jaw to the side, examining the mark.

“What the hell is this?,” he all but growled. “Is this a claiming mark?”

“What? No,” Carisi shook himself from Rafael’s grip. “My boyfriend just got a little excited, he didn’t mean it.”

Rafael raised a hand to his mouth, trying to keep himself from screaming. “He _didn’t mean it_? Sonny, this is dangerous. He can’t just risk it, this isn’t something to gamble with.”

He frowned. “I know. It just happened. Why do you care?”

The ADA turned away from him, and honestly he felt like ripping his hair out. Because he wasn’t supposed to care, he wasn’t supposed to have these outbursts anymore, he had it under control, it was all going well.

But now all he wanted was to hunt down Sonny’s said _boyfriend_ and snap his neck in two.

 _No,_ he shook his head, and pushed the Alpha back, regaining his control.

“I’m sorry,” Rafael said, trying to smile reassuringly. “I was just worried. You know you can’t be in public the first 48 hours after a claiming, you have to stay with your Alpha.”

“Yeah, Raf, I know,” Sonny chuckled. “It’s fine, he didn’t claim me.”

“Right,” Rafael took a deep breath. “Thanks for bringing lunch. I completely lost track of time.”

“I guessed,” he said, and pushed a box towards Rafael.

They sat across from each other on the conference table, and Rafael listened half-heartedly as Sonny sang his food praises.

“Or maybe I’m just really hungry,” he laughed. “Rafael, are you listening to me?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Rafael shook his head. “I heard you. Your food is good.”

Sonny laughed again. “You’re stressing about this hickey I got, aren’t you?,” he teased, shaking his head fondly. “Raf, it’s fine. Besides, we’ve been talking about it.”

“About what?”

“About him claiming me,” Sonny smiled. Rafael really liked it when Sonny smiled, but right now it was killing him. “We haven’t been together that long, I know, but he seems so confident about our relationship. So we’ve been talking about doing it during my next heat, I think that’s why he got a little carried away last night.”

Rafael had stopped breathing, he was sure of it.

His vision went white, and his ears immediately started ringing.

 _Claiming_.

Claiming was irreversible.

God, he was going to pass out. It suddenly felt like all the weight of the pain he’d been avoiding hit him a once. His vision swam again, and Sonny was still talking, but his voice sounded distant, unreachable.

He’d heard about this before, rejected Alphas who lost their minds. He could feel himself falling into an abyss of nothingness. It was like there was no point anymore, it was like the one thing that made him strive to be a better person, a worthy Alpha, was gone.

Sonny had been with that guy for no longer than two months, and they were talking about claiming? That wasn’t right. It was too soon. Rafael had no right to tell Sonny how to live his life or how to handle his relationship, he knew, but claiming was way too serious to be taken this lightly.

Rafael didn’t even know the guy. He only knew his name was Toby, and he owned a bookshop somewhere in Brooklyn. He’d never even seen his face. Rafael had no idea if he was good to Sonny in any shape or form.

It was Rafael’s duty, as Sonny’s friend, to give him advice in this situation. To lay the truth down for him, that Alpha’s jumped into claiming because they were jealous and possessive, and it was agonizing to even think about losing their chosen Omega, but that the act of claiming didn’t have the same repercussions to Alphas as it did to Omegas.

Omegas became dependant on their Alphas after claiming, especially after the 48 hours immediately after. They needed constant care, and the Alpha had to be present at all times on those first days. If not, the mental anguish could either drive the Omegas to a state of actual insanity or even kill them.

Alphas could claim however many Omegas they wanted, regardless of them being their chosen or not, but for the Omegas, there was only one Alpha.

And Rafael just couldn’t let this slide.

When he seemed to come back to it, Sonny was on his knees in front of him, looking panicked and holding him by the biceps. He was still sitting, his lunch untouched in front of him.

“Rafael, can you hear me?,” Sonny asked, shaking him a little.

“Yes, yes,” he shook his head slightly and tried to smile reassuringly. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“You almost face-planted on your food,” he said, still sounding worried. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Sonny,” Rafael waved a dismissive hand, reaching for his box of Chinese and dislodging Sonny’s hands. “Sorry about that. Guess I better eat this before I smash it with my forehead.”  

Sonny chuckled and stood up. “Yeah, I’m gonna turn on your coffee maker so you can have some after lunch. Hopefully that’ll keep you from face-planting on your work when I leave.”

“You have a point,” Rafael nodded playfully.

Rafael’s mind was racing, and he distracted himself with his food for a while. He really did need to eat something, but when Sonny sat back down across from him and smiled, he sighed.

“Sonny, about the claiming,” he started cautiously. “Don’t you think it is a little early? I don’t mean to prod, but it’s not something to be taken lightly. Does anyone from the squad know him? Have you checked his records? Have you met his family?”

Sonny snorted. “Hold your horses, Raf. I’m not mindlessly jumping into it. My heat just ended two days ago, so I’ve got a month until my next one. If I decide against it, we’re not gonna do it. He just brought it up a couple times, and I think it’s fair to consider it, you know.”

“Of course he brought it up, Sonny. He’s an Alpha, it’s what an Alpha does,” Rafael said frustratingly. “Alphas are possessive, and he’s not going to want to risk it.”

The Detective seemed to consider it for a while, nodding along to Rafael’s words. “So you don’t think he means it, then? It’s just Alpha-talk?,” he asked, sounding unsure.

“I don’t know, Sonny. I haven’t even met the guy. He could be an asshole for all I know.”

“He’s not. I’d like to think I have better taste than that,” Sonny teased. “But I get what you mean. I’m thinking about it, Raf. I’m not going to jump into this out of nowhere. I know it’s a serious decision, so I’ll give it time if I need to.”

Rafael nodded, and went back to his food. At least Sonny didn’t sound too lovestruck about it, which meant it wasn’t final yet. He knew Sonny was smart, and he doubted the Detective would say yes to something he wasn’t 100% confident about, so he held on to hope.

One month, Sonny said. One month to try and make a decision.

So Rafael now had one month to show Sonny that he was an Alpha worthy of him, too.

* * *

Rafael decided to start small.

On the next Monday, he walked into SVU with a cup of coffee in each hand. He held his head up high, and made sure to exude Alpha energy as he strode directly towards Sonny’s desk.

He was already there, hunched over a case file with his hand on his forehead. He always did that when he was trying to focus on something really hard, it was endearing.

Rafael would hate to distract him, or even startle him, so he slowed his steps as he approached him, but a moment later Sonny lifted his head and his eyes immediately found Rafael’s and he smiled.

“Good morning, Counselor,” he greeted, his light blue eyes twinkling so kindly up at Rafael.

“Morning, Detective,” Rafael replied with a little nod, and gently set a cup of coffee on Sonny’s desk.

He eyed it with awed interest, as if Rafael had brought him something precious - and at this time in the morning, it probably was.

“Hey,” Rollins called out. “Where’s _my_ fancy coffee, Barba?”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “I’ll bring you coffee the day you offer to work late to go through precedents for me,” he said, then pointedly took a sip from his own cup.

“Fair enough,” Rollins yawed, sipping from her own mug. From the looks of it, it was the watered down coffee the unis made every morning.

Sonny snickered at her as he took a sip from his coffee. “Whoa, Counselor,” he said dramatically, eyes widening. “This is _really_ good. I’m gonna savour this all morning. Thank you.”

It was actually really nice, really _expensive_ coffee from an underground, indie café right in the center of Manhattan. Rafael had had to wake up earlier and face a crowd of stuck-up college students to get this for Sonny.

“You’re welcome, Carisi,” he nodded at him with a small smile, turned around with a flourish and marched towards Olivia’s office.

One point to him.

The next thing, Rafael didn’t really plan, but he did seize the opportunity greatly.

“God, I’m gonna catch my death in this cold,” Sonny said as they walked from the DA’s office to the courthouse. “I can’t believe I’ve ruined my one good coat. It was my favorite, too.”

Rafael snorted. “You can’t? Because I definitely can.”

Sonny had arrived in Rafael’s office drenched in coffee. Apparently he’d bought himself and Rafael each a big cup from the coffee shop down the street, then a teenager ran into him as he made his way out.

He looked crestfallen as he removed said coat and draped it over a chair.

“It wasn’t my fault!,” he protested with a frown. “The kid didn’t even say sorry.”

Rafael smiled at him, then handed Sonny his briefcase. “Hold this for me, please,” he started to remove his coat, and Sonny protested as he did so.

“Raf, it’s okay, we’re almost there.”

“Yes, but I’m staying inside. You have to go back to SVU,” Rafael shrugged, and handed his own coat to Sonny.

“Are you sure?,” Sonny asked, but he was already putting the coat own.

Rafael did not expect the immediate rush of possessiveness that went through him at the sight of the Detective wearing his coat. A coat that probably had Rafael’s scent all over it, and that would cling to Sonny even after he took it off.

That was truthfully one of the things Rafael disliked the most about Alpha culture - the possessiveness. He had no right to own anyone that way, so it was pointless and even cruel to feel that urge.

He shook his head to try and clear it, then waved a hand towards Sonny. However, he couldn’t help but notice that Sonny’s eyes had glazed over suddenly.

“It’s fine,” he smiled.

“It’s a bit short,” Sonny joked, smoothing out the fabric.

“You wanna give it back, then?,” Rafael bit, and Sonny laughed.

Sonny returned Rafael’s coat two days later, and his scent was so heavy on it, Rafael would have to take it to the dry cleaners or he wouldn’t be able to get anything done while wearing it.

As for Sonny’s originally ruined coat, Rafael gave it back to him a week after, fresh and looking as good as new, and Sonny’s eyes brightened when he saw it.

“I thought it was gone for good,” he said in awe, pulling it on immediately. “Thanks, Raf.”

He counted that as a big win, too.

The next thing Rafael decided to do for Sonny took some ass-kissing and calling-of-favors.

There was a new restaurant in Times Square that the Detective would not shut up about. He had read in some blog that it apparently had the most authentic Italian food in all of New York. So of course, he was dying to try it, but the waiting list was miles long.

That’s where Rafael came in. Rita knew someone from her firm who knew somebody else from another firm that apparently represented the family who had opened the restaurant. So Rafael called in a favor from Rita, who then had to kiss someone’s ass, but eventually she came through with a reservation for two.

Sonny was so goddamn excited that Rafael was sure he was going to shoot off from his seat before they even finished their entrées.

“How did you get this reservation?,” Sonny asked, looking around with a bright smile. There were paintings of Italian landscapes all over the place.

Rafael smiled. “Someone owed me a favor.”

“And you used it on this?,” he gaped. “Raf, you really should have saved that for something important.”

“This is important to you, isn’t it?,” Rafael shrugged when Sonny blushed and ducked his head slightly. “Then I used it well.”

They ate until they couldn’t breathe anymore. The food was truly divine, and Sonny kept humming and moaning and groaning around his mouthfuls, and it almost drove Rafael spare. But in the end, he flashed a dazzling smile and thanked Rafael profusely.

“Everything reminded me of my Nonna, and the summers I spent with her growing up,” he said, looking emotional. “Thank you so much, Rafael.”

It was well worth the teasing from Rita.

Eventually Rafael realized that all of the things he did involved splurging money so far, so he decided to go a different route next. He invited Sonny over to his apartment and cooked the one Cuban meal he knew how, from scratch.

The dinner went well. They talked, laughed, Sonny praised his cooking skills, and they shared half a bottle of rum. But in the end, Rafael realized his plan wasn’t really working. Sonny still saw him as a good friend, and not as a potential suitor.

Rafael tried his best to be nice, complimentary, attentive of Sonny. And Sonny seemed to be grateful about it all, but there was nothing else there. It was just friendship, even when the setting was romantic - like their dinner at the Italian place, when the waitress brought a candle to their table. Sonny had winked at Rafael with a lopsided smirk, then continued talking about his sisters.

He wasn’t sure what else to do to show his worth, and time was running out.

* * *

It was the day the bar exam results would _finally_ come out, and Rafael already had a gift ready for when Sonny told him he passed. It was a wooden name plaque for his desk, and it said “Sonny Carisi, Esquire” in gold.

He had wrapped it in a dark blue gift bag with a white bow, and kept it in his desk for the right moment.

Rafael and Sonny had briefly met earlier in the day, the ADA walking into the precinct as the Detective walked out, but when Rafael asked, Sonny said it hadn’t been posted yet, and he looked a little nervous.

So, of course, as soon as Rafael left his office in the evening, he made his way to the Detective’s apartment with food, wine, and the gift. Sonny knew he was going there, Rafael had made sure to ask if it was okay to show up, he would hate to bump into his boyfriend.

Literally, he would _hate_ it.

But Sonny guaranteed he was alone, and that the results were up.

“So, are we celebrating or commiserating?,” was the first thing Rafael asked when Sonny opened the door.

“I haven’t checked yet,” he shook his head, then paused for a moment to bite into his bottom lip. “None of my classmates passed so far, and I don’t want to open it just to confirm I’ve failed.”

“Sonny, you worked really hard on your studies, I really do believe you passed,” Rafael reassured him with a pat on his shoulder once he walked into the apartment, closing the door behind himself.

Sonny sighed. “Thanks, but passing on my first try sounds a bit too ambitious.”

“Well, maybe, but you were also working full-time while taking your classes,” he said kindly. “And at SVU, no less. You worked 10 hour shifts, then went home and got all your assignments done. Sonny, that’s an accomplishment in and of itself right there.”

“I guess so,” he plopped on his couch with a frustrated groan. “But I really want to pass, Rafael. This is the one thing I’ve done for _myself_ , because _I wanted to,_ I don’t want to fail at it.”

“Hey,” Rafael sat next to him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “I am _positive_ you passed. But I’ll make you a deal: in the case that you haven’t, I’ll let you shadow me in two more cases.”

Sonny smiled “Five.”

“That’s unrealistic, Sonny,” he snorted, but he’d do it if that was what Sonny wanted. ”Three.”

“Four, and I’ll make us dinner after each one,” the Detective offered, resting his hand on top of Rafael’s.

Rafael smirked. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Counselor.”

“Okay,” he squeezed Rafael’s hand and stood up, picking up his laptop from the coffee table. “Can you check it for me?”

“Are you sure?,” he asked even though he was already opening the computer to see the published list.

“Yeah, yeah, I trust you,” Sonny waved a hand, then pulled out his ID from his pocket to hand it to Rafael. “Here’s my ID number. But like _really_ sugarcoat it for me if I failed.”

Rafael gave him his biggest reassuring smile and nodded. “I’ll try my best.”

When Rafael turned his attention to the screen, Sonny started pacing his living room like a caged animal. The ADA could easily sense how nervous he was, it was heavy in the way his scent seemed to weight down the room.

Focusing as best as he could while his instincts were telling him to comfort the Omega, protect him, sooth him, Rafael hit crtl + f and proceeded to type in the numbers.

The browser showed one result, and that could only mean one thing.

Rafael hit enter, and the page jumped to where Sonny’s ID number was, fifth place on the list. Immediately, Rafael wanted to go to him and praise him for all his hard work, to tell him how proud he was, to shower him in attention.

Instead, Rafael checked the numbers to make sure he had typed it in correctly. He wouldn’t want to give Sonny the wrong result.

With his chest flooding with pride, Rafael looked up to see Sonny looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes, and smiled.

“You passed,” he said, and Sonny gasped loudly. “You did it, Sonny.”

“Oh my god,” Sonny exclaimed, his voice breathy as he stared at Rafael. “I passed?”

Rafael set the computer aside and stood up, beaming with joy as he nodded enthusiastically.

“You passed. You’re a lawyer, Sonny.”

Sonny laughed, a clear, beautiful sound so full of happiness Rafael couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“Oh my god!,” Sonny said again, louder this time, and pulled Rafael into a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”

Rafael wasn’t sure what Sonny was thanking him for, but he hugged Sonny back just as tightly.

They stood there like that for a couple minutes, enjoying each other’s presence in such a life-changing moment. Rafael had his arms wrapped around Sonny’s waist as the Detective kept a fierce hug around Rafael’s shoulders.

The ADA took the opportunity to inhale deeply and memorize this moment. Sonny smelled so - happy. Like rain on a sunny day. Like an ice cream cone that melted and ran down one’s hand during a beautiful summer holiday.

It was a comforting embrace, one that spoke volumes, and when they parted, Sonny stayed in his personal for a little longer, looking Rafael deep in the eye with a gorgeous smile.

“This only happened thanks to you, Rafael,” he whispered between them. “I passed because of the time I spent working with you. I admire you, so much. Your moral compass, your restlessness, the way you command every room you’ve ever walked in,” Sonny chuckled, and Rafael smiled. “Thank you for being here tonight. I’m glad you were the first to know.”

Rafael shook his head. “I’m glad to be here too, but I’m not taking any credit. This was _your_ hard work, Sonny. Your tenacity, your eagerness, your thirst for knowledge. It was all you.”

“Alright, are we going to stand here all night complimenting each other or are we going to open that bottle of wine you brought?”

He shrugged. “I’m fine with either.”

Sonny laughed and stepped away. Rafael wished he knew he was being serious.

“Before that, I brought you a gift,” he picked up the blue bag he’d left next to the wine and offered it to Sonny. “It’s one of a kind.”

“What? What if I hadn’t passed?”

“I knew you would,” Rafael waved a hand. “Now open it.”

Sonny snorted as he undid the white bow and peaked inside with childish glee. The plaque was wrapped in grey paper, and Rafael watched as the Detective ripped it open. When he finally read it, Sonny threw his head back in a bark of laughter, his dimples deppening and his eyes crinkling around the edges.

“This is awesome,” Sonny said between bolts of renewed laughter. “I’m gonna have to put this on my desk.”

“You have to, it was very expensive,” Rafael smiled, satisfied.

Sonny tilted his head, looking between the plaque and Rafael. “When did you get this made?”

Rafael shrugged. “About two weeks ago.”

Sonny set the plaque down on his coffee table with a sweet smile, and rounded it to give Rafael another hug. He couldn’t help the shudder that went down his spine when he felt Sonny press his face against his neck. He heard Sonny inhaling, then his body relaxed in Rafael’s arms, melting into him in a way that made the ADA pull him closer, and keep him tight against his own chest.

“Thank you,” Sonny breathed, and when his lips touched Rafael’s skin as he spoke, he closed his eyes.

Rafael felt his Alpha self unfurl, purring inside his own mind, stretching and accepting Sonny’s presence. Slowly, his hand went up and down Sonny’s back in a loving caress, and the Detective sighed happily.

They stayed like that for a long while. Rafael knew Sonny was deep into his Omega mindspace, breathing in deeply every couple minutes, drinking in Rafael’s scent with no preamble. And Rafael left himself shower Sonny in his scent, in his presence, and the protection he could offer. In his arms, Sonny was safe.

“I’m so proud of you,” Rafael said lowly against Sonny’s temple, resisting the urge to kiss it, but just barely. “You did so well, Sonny. You worked so hard. Congratulations, Counselor.”

He felt Sonny smile, and he melted further into Rafael’s chest, pressing his nose harder against the curve of his jaw. Suddenly, Rafael felt Sonny press a kiss onto his skin, warm and welcoming, but then the Detective pulled away, shaking his head urgently. He could see Sonny’s eyes were glassy, and his scent settled as he tried to pull himself together.

“I’m sorry,” his voice sounded hoarse. “I mean, thank you for the gift, Raf. I love it. Fin and Rollins can say whatever they want, but I’m displaying that on my desk for sure.”

Rafael couldn’t help but deflate at the distance Sonny was putting between them, but he took that kiss as a good sign. If Sonny had done it, if Sonny had gone into his Omega’s submissive headspace with Rafael, that probably meant he hadn’t chosen his boyfriend as his Alpha yet.

That meant Rafael still had time.

“So,” Sonny cleared his throat, shaking his head once more. “Wine?”

Rafael smiled. “Pop the cork, Counselor.”

* * *

When Olivia called Rafael to tell him about the two members of the slave ring they’d arrested, Rafael had been elated. He knew it was just a matter of time before the whole operation came crashing down now, and they’d find the Omegas and rescue them. It had been the only good news he’d gotten all day, and apparently Josh was already on his way for the line-ups.

Then, completely crushing Rafael’s joy, Olivia said the words that made him run out of his office so fast he scared Carmen.

“Carisi got roughed up,” she had said. “One of the guys pistol-whipped him across the face, he’s got a nasty cut on his brow.”

His trip from the DA’s office to the precinct was a big blur, but when he got there, panting, eyes wide and desperate, asking for Carisi to every uni who walked by him, he found the Detective alone in Olivia’s office. He was sitting on her couch, a white cloth in one hand, the other one holding a bag of ice to his face.

“Counselor,” he greeted with a grimace. “Sorry you have to see me like this.”

“What the hell happened?,” Rafael approached him in quick steps, trying to assess the damage despite the bag of ice.

“The Johns weren’t very happy when we busted them,” Sonny joked with a chuckled, then winced. “I don’t think I’ll need any stitches, though.”

“Oh, so you’re a doctor now, too?,” Rafael huffed, taking the cloth Sonny was holding and grimacing at the blood he saw embedded on it. “Let me see.”

“I’m fine, Rafael. It almost doesn’t hurt anymore,” he promised with a lopsided grin. “The Lieu said I could go home, I’m just waiting for my ride.”

“Sonny,” he reprimanded, reaching for the hand that was holding the bag of ice and easing it off Sonny’s face. “Let me help you.”

The cut really wasn’t that deep, but it was long, and the skin around it was dark purple already, it had to hurt like hell. His eyebrow was uncomfortably swollen, and it forced him into squinting one eye.  

Rafael winced sympathetically at the sight, and dabbed lightly with the washcloth to clean off the dried blood. Sonny closed his eyes, but hissed when Rafael pressed the ice over it again.

“I don’t think it’s going to scar,” Rafael said, holding on to Sonny’s jaw with his other hand. “But it’s definitely going to hurt for a while.”

“Yeah,” Sonny sighed. “I got lucky, though. It could have been in my eye.”

Rafael swallowed thickly, the idea of Sonny being hurt in any way putting him on edge.

“A battle scar would have been cool, though, right?,” he joked, and Rafael shook his head.

“Don’t joke about that. Besides, being pistol-whipped hardly classifies as _battle_.”

Sonny shrugged. “I’m not a damsel in distress either, Raf.”

“Sexist,” Rafael huffed, and Sonny laughed, then immediately winced.

“Isn’t the Lieu waiting for you?”

“Not yet, she called me but said she didn’t need me here for now,” he said, pulling the ice away from Sonny’s skin to check on it again. “We should probably clean this.”

“Then why are you here?,” Sonny asked, opening his eyes to look up at Rafael, who only then noticed he was standing comfortably between Sonny’s legs.

“Because she told me you were hurt,” Rafael said in a small voice.

“So you only came to check on me?,” he asked, curious.

Rafael should say it, tell the truth now. Let Sonny know how he felt, what he wanted. He could be honest, he _should_ be honest. But before he even opened his mouth, the door banged open, and a man Rafael didn’t recognize walked in with narrowed eyes and his brows furrowed.

“Toby,” Sonny breathed, and suddenly Rafael turned to put himself between Sonny and the guy who had been making his life much harder than needed. “Thanks for coming.”

Toby looked between Sonny and Rafael, then crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re welcome. But you didn’t really need me, did you? You’ve got prince charming here at your service.”

“Uh,” Sonny blinked, then cleared his throat. “Toby, this is Rafa-”

“I know who he is,” Toby hissed through gritted-teeth. “I could smell him from the entrance hall. The same scent I’ve been smelling on you for months. Rafael Barba, the king of Alphas or whatever. He doesn’t impress _me,”_ he grimaced.

“Toby, that’s really rude. Rafael and I work together every day, I’ve explained that to you a thousand times,” Sonny sighed.

“You don’t get it, do you?,” he took a step further, then so did Rafael, making sure he couldn’t get too close to Sonny. “He’s been trying to court you for weeks, but your blind optimism won’t let you see that. That, or you just like the attention too much.”

“What’s wrong with you?,” Rafael frowned. “Don’t talk to him like that.”

“I’ll talk to him however I please,” Toby spat at Rafael. “ _I’m_ his Alpha, not you, no matter how hard you tried, he chose _me_ , and he’s coming with me now, and you better stay away from him.”

“No, Toby,” Sonny said as he stood up. His jaw was set in place. “I did not choose you, and since you can’t behave like a civilized person, I’d like you to leave.”

Toby scoffed. “What the hell do you mean? I’m not leaving without you.”

“I think he was loud and clear when he told you to go,” Rafael hissed.

“Mind your damn business. You don’t mean shit to me, your scent doesn’t hold any power here, and you’re no better than me, or any other Alpha,” he challenged. “Sonny is coming with me, so stay out of my way.”

Toby then made the mistake of making a grab at Sonny.

Rafael intercepted his hand mid-air, grabbing his wrist and twisting it around Toby’s back then pushing him until his chest hit the wall. He heard Sonny call out his name, but the only thing he could hear was his own growling as he kept Toby pinned there.

“ _Don’t_ touch him,” Rafael said through gritted teeth. “When I let go of your arm, you’re going to leave this room without looking back, do you hear me?”

Toby tried to push back, but Rafael twisted his arm further until he grunted in pain. “Fine, fine. He never fully submitted to me anyway, and it was always because of you. Don’t come back to me when he refuses to claim you, do you hear me Sonny?!”

Rafael let go of Toby’s arm, and the other Alpha left without looking back or saying another word.

He was afraid of what he was going to see when he turned to look at Sonny, but he knew he’d have to explain himself and apologize. So Rafael turned, and wasn’t surprised to find Sonny glaring at him with his jaw set angrily in place.

“Do you want to explain to me what that was about?,” he asked curtly.

Rafael sighed deeply, and handed Sonny the washcloth and ice pack back. He paced around the room for a couple moments, trying to put his head back on his shoulders. Sonny sat back down on the couch, and watched him intensely as he did so.

“I’m sorry,” Rafael started. “I know I shouldn’t have done that. It’s just -,” he sighed. “I couldn’t bear it, Sonny. I couldn’t let him touch you.”

“Why is it any of your business?,” Sonny asked, frowning. “He’s _my_ boyfriend, or was, whatever. I could have handled him, Rafael.”

“I chose you, Sonny,” he finally said, then laughed at the absurdity of the situation. “I chose you as my Omega, months ago.”

Sonny blinked rapidly, mouth agape. “But you said nothing was ever going to happen. You said we were coworkers and nothing else. You _kicked me out_ of your office when I told you I was attracted to you.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry, I regret it now, because I was being ridiculous,” Rafael ran a hand through his hair, messing up his perfect coif. “I was afraid that you were only interested in me because of my heritage, that you were only reacting to all that crap about my Alpha blood being stronger, more rare.”

“I didn’t even know about that,” he breathed. “I mean, I heard people talking, but I thought it was just that - talk.”

“But you went into heat right in the moment we met. Why do you think that was?,” the ADA asked frustratingly.

“I thought it was because I was attracted to you, and my heat was close anyway, it wasn’t even that surprising,” Sonny shook his head. “So everything you’ve been doing lately, the dinners, the gifts, they were all because you want to have sex with me?”

Rafael laughed humorlessly. “No, Sonny, I _chose_ you. As in, _you_ are the Omega I want to bond with. As in, I am _in love_ with you, and I thought I could convince you I was worthy as an Alpha too, before you went off into the sunset with this Toby douchebag.”

“I don’t know what to think,” Sonny blinked, and he did look extremely confused. “You sent me away that night.”

“And it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Rafael sighed. “I’m so sorry. I’m used to people learning about my family and only being interested in that aspect of my life.”

“What is the deal with your family, then?”

“My father’s side of the family has a very, very long, extremely old line of strong, powerful Alphas. Alphas who’ve won wars, who’ve grown empires and survived every threat ever known to mankind. Every new baby born in that line has been an Alpha, and they’ve always been considered Gods. Our blood is thicker, our scent is richer, Omegas can’t resist it. And I thought that was the case with you, too.”

Sonny frowned. “Obviously I could resist it.”

Rafael smiled sadly. “Obviously.”

“So you’re saying you rejected me because you thought I was only interested in your so called God status, then realized I was your chosen Omega and decided to court me without letting me know?”

“Not exactly,” Rafael ducked his head. “I wasn’t _courting_ you, precisely. I was just trying to show I was worthy of you, too.”

He snorted. “Worthy of me? Jesus, Rafael, for someone who’s supposedly smart that idea was awfully stupid.”

Both Rafael’s eyebrows went up. “I resent that.”

“Come here,” Sonny said, patting the seat beside him.

Rafael sat down with a long sigh, turning towards Sonny. “I really am sorry. I should have known better with you.”

Sonny smiled softly. “I agree. But also, I understand your mistrust. From all that I’ve heard, people do love making up rumors about you, and a lot of them aren’t nice.”

“None of it is true.”

“None of it?,” he smirked. “That’s a pity. There was one good one I was particularly hopeful about.”

Rafael narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

“That you’re a spectacularly great kisser.”

Suddenly Rafael was filled with a burning fire that made him want to pull Sonny into his lap and hold him there forever, but he took one look at the Detective’s bruised face and decided against it. They’d have time for that. Now, he had to make sure to convince Sonny that he was, indeed, a great Alpha.

“Why don’t you be the judge of that, Detective?,” he said sultrily, leaning in.

“With pleasure,” Sonny said against his lips, then kissed him.

So many cliched things went through his head in the moment their lips met. All the saccharine stuff he’d seen in movies. But the thing his mind settled on was that this, right here, was the reason why he’d been born an Alpha. It was just so he could be Sonny’s, just so they could complete each other the way they were doing now.

Sonny tasted like dreams coming true, and his hand on the back of Rafael’s neck was the anchor he needed to not float away into a dimension where they never stopped kissing. It kept him grounded, and it reminded him that he _finally_ got his Omega.

He placed one hand on Sonny’s back, and the other went into his hair, holding him in place while their first kiss turned into their second, their third, then forth, as their lips parted they met again in a new angle, with renewed gusto. Sonny made the most delicious sounds, and Rafael inhaled gulp after gulp of his exquisite scent.

A lifetime passed between them, and when Rafael pulled back, Sonny had the most beautiful smile on his face.

“They were right about that one,” he said, breathless.

Rafael chuckled. “Can I start properly courting you now, then?”

“I don’t think you need to anymore,” Sonny teased, then pecked his lips twice more. “But yes, you can.”

That night, Rafael went home with Sonny. Not to have sex with him, not to claim him either - they still had a long road before that -, but to take care of him. He cleaned his bruised skin and placed a nice bandage over it. He fed him, and drew him a warm bath.

As Sonny fell asleep in his arms later that night, Rafael finally understood that it wasn’t about his worth as an Alpha. It was about who he was for his chosen Omega. And Rafael knew that he'd do his best to be exactly what Sonny needed.

**Author's Note:**

> That's it from ABO scenarios from me, I think! Although I wasn't quite the happiest with how this turned out, I had fun writing it and discussing it with Kate. 
> 
> Please let me hear your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to click that kudo button <3 there's another story coming soon, so follow me on twitter @pastelpinktv to find out what it is! XXX thanks you for reading!


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